Electric railway.



'No. 700,:2'7. *Patented May I3, 1902.. c. J. KINTNER.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

(Application filed. Mar. 20, 1902.)

{No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES KIN'PNER, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,127, dated May 13, 1902. Original application filed May 6, 1901, Serial No. 58,923. Divided and this application filedlharch 20, 1902. Serial To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES J. KINTNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, borough of Manhattan, county and State of NewYork, have made a new and useful Invention'in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is directed particularly to improvements in electric railways of the sectional third railjor conductor type, and has for its objects,.first, to avoid damaging arcing at the terminals of the switches when the sectional third rails or conductors are disconnected from the current feeder or main; second, to avoid damaging effects upon the translating devices, as motors, electric lamps, &c., carried. by the cars when the currentcollector or trolley passes from one sectional conductor to another.

Heretofore in systems of electric railways, so far asI am aware, it has not been possible to practically utilize normally dead sectional third rails or conductors where currents of enormous quantity andhigh potential difference are used, owing to the fact that when the sectional third rails or conductors are disconnected from the current feeder .or main as a car passes over the route the terminals of the switches are fused or damaged to such an extent as tomake the system impracticable. With such systems also where the current is disconnected from and suddenly again connected to the motor and translating devices carried by a car more or less damage results, often: rupturing the lamps by the too-sudden supply of the entire working current thereto.

Myinvention contemplates'the lowering of the current-flow through the terminals of any switch'of the system atthe time that its corresponding sectional conductor is being disconnected from the current feeder or main to such an extent as to avoid any damaging arcing, and this I accomplish by the use of the apparatus hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and by the practice of the methods hereinafter claimed.

For a full and clear understanding of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to use the apparatus described and (No model.)

reference is bad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a part of a sectional-third-rail system of electric railways embodying the ,present invention, and such as is disclosed in a prior application filed by me in the United States Patent Office on the 6th day of May, 190l, bearing Serial No. 58,923, of which application the pres-.

cut is a division. Fig. 2 is a similar diagrammatic View of a lnodified'form of apparatus for practicing the methods hereinafter claimed. Fig. 3 is a detail diagrammatic View of a still further modifiedform of apparatus for practicing the methods hereinafter claimed. I I Referring first to Fig. 1, c represents the current feeder or main, and if one of the tramrails of an electric-railway system, 0 1" being adjoining sectional third rails or conductors electrically connected by short branch conductors 2 2 to yielding terminals. ss in a switch-box, (not shown in this VlGW. of the drawings, but indicated by the letters 8b in Fig. 2.) 7 7 are releasing-conductors running in opposite directionsandelectrically connected, respectively, to the adjoining ends of the short branch conductors 2 2 at the ends of the sectional conductors r 'r, the opposite ends of said conductors 7 7 being connected, respectively, to independent coils of a releasing-magnet 15 and then to the tram-rail or return-conductor 15. ff are switch-operating magnets connected in short branch conductors 3 3, having their opposite ends connected, respectively, to short working conductors 5 5 and to the tram-rail or returnconductor 25'. r r r are short sectional rails or conductors located in alinement with the sectional third rails or conductors mm, the conductor r in each instance being connected to its corresponding third rail orconductor r by a resistance of, say, one hundred'ohms, and the two conductors r i"? being connected together in a similar mann'er'by corresponding resistances of, say, two hundred ohms, the conductors r r being similarly connected by corresponding resistances of, say, three hundred ohms, so that the total resistance in circuit from right to left and from left to right,

respectively, between the two third rails r r and the adjoining ends of the short rails r r is, say, six hundred ohms, said short rails r r r and resistances one hundred, two hundred, and three hundred ohms being in shunt relation to the branch conductors 2 2, running to the switching-terminals s s. The short working conductors 5 5 are located, respectively, on opposite sides of the adjoining short conductors 1' r and parallel therewith. 17 is a lockin g armature-lever electrically connected by a short branch conductor 1 with the current-feeder c. a is a hand-switch pivoted to the insulating-base of the switch and having an insulating-bar near its free end for enabling an authorized person to manuallylock either of the yielding terminals into connection with the armature-lever 17. The arrangement of all of the parts so far described is duplicated at each switch-box in the manner disclosed in the before-mentioned application, and further description is not deemed necessary here, the present invention having only to deal with the method of avoiding abnormal or damaging arcing between the terminals s s and lever 17, the present invention being applicable in connection with all sectional third-rail or conductor systems of electric railways, which are automatically connected to and disconnected from the current feeder or main as a car passes by or over the route. m represents an electric motor on board a car, (not shown,) moving from left to right, and 16 one of the tram-wheels, 4 being the working conductor, operatively connecting the motor on with a current-collector or trolley 14 and with one of the tram-wheels. 18 18 are signal-lamps located in multiple-arc branch circuits between the releasing-conductors 7 7 and the tram-rail or return-conductor t. The tram-rail t and all of the conductors carrying the working current to the motor m are illustrated in heavy black lines, while the releasing-conductors and the switchoperating circuits are illustrated in light black lines. The car is supposed to be traveling from left to right in the direction of the arrows with the current-collector or trolley 14: upon a live sectional conductor 1*. As this current-collector or trolley passes upon the short sectional conductor r on the left a resistance of one hundred ohms is cut into circuit, and as it advances ultimately two hundred and three hundred ohms are successively cut into circuit, so that it the voltage of the power-house generator is six hundred there will be flowing through the motor m, when the current-collector 14 passes upon the sectional conductor 4, one ampere of current. As the current-collector advances the circuit is closed by the short working conductor 5, conductor 3 0n the right, through the righthand switch-magnetf, and the terminal 8 on the right is automatically locked in connection with .the locking-terminal 17 so that the next sectional third rail '2 in advance is now made alive, circuit being from the current feeder or main 0 by branch conductor 1, looking armature-lever 17, right-hand yielding terminal 3, right-hand branch conductor 2. Consequently circuit was closed by the releasing-conductor 7 to the rear, releasing the terminal .9 in the switch-box last passed; but inasmuch as there is now six hundred ohms resistance in the circuit there will be no damaging current flowing through the terminal of the switch at that point. Hence the circuit is interrupted without arcing. As the current-collector 14 advances the resistances three hundred, two hundred, and one hundred are successively cut out of circuit and the working current gradually restored to normal by the time that the collector 14; reaches the sectional third rail or conductor 1", so that no damaging eifect is felt by the lamps, motors, or other translating devices carried by the car. Of course it will be understood that during the time the car is traveling from the point where it is located in the drawings to a corresponding point on the extreme right there willbe insufficientcurrent flowing through the motor to move the same. Therefore it willbe necessary that it should have sufficient momentum to carry it over this distance. When the car is runningin a reverse direction, it is only necessary to reverse the trolley 14,so that it makes contact with the Working conductor 5 on the other-side of the rail r thereby closing the circuit through the operating-magnetf on theleft, all as fully disclosed in the before-mentioned application, and further description is not deemed necessary here, as 'this feature does not constitute any part of the present invention.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings I have illustrated a modified form of the invention in which all of the circuit connections, in so far as the system is concerned, are the same as shown in Fig. 1, except that in this case the resistances in the roadway-one hundred,- two hundred, and three hundred-are done away with and the conductors 2 2 connected directly to the ends of the adjoining sectional third rails and to the terminals 8' sin the switch-boxes. However, in this form of the apparatus for practicing the methods hereinafter claimed the means for varying the current-flow through the terminals is carried on board of the car and consists of a rheostat rh, embracing successive resistances running, as shown, from seventy-five to six hundred ohms, 1 being a contact-arm carried by a conducting-lever Z, pivotally supported and connected to an arm a, extending downward to a point beneath the car, the lower end of said arm having a trolley q, adapted to move over either end of a third rail n in the road-bed,which is inclined for a definite distance in opposite directions, I

as shown, 11 being a strong spiral spring for holding the lever Z, the arm a, and trolley q in its lower position. nected to the lever Z for gradually regulating the movements of said lever under the influence of the spring '0. 71. is an operating-handp is a dash-pot conthe motor m at the time is a maximum, with the lever lin the position shown in dotted lines. As the car passes over the inclined rail 12. the trolley q, acting against the spring v, causes the lever Z to be lifted, so that the contact-arm y gradually rises and throws successive sections of the rheostat rh'into circuit until at the time when the current-collector 14 passes from one sectional third'rail 1" to the other the maximum amount of resistance is thrown into circuit, as'shown in full lines, sothat, as in the first instance, there is now a minimum amount ofcurrentflowing through the terminals in the switch-box'atthe end of the next section in the rear. Con sequently when the terminal is released at the distant end of the section last passed there will be no damaging arcing at that point. Instead of providing a separate or independent double-inclined railn in the roadway I may" incline the adjoining ends of the sectional third rails 1', and the arm u and trolley q may in this instance be the conducting-trolley which conveys the current directly to the lever 5, such change being an obvious one to those skilled in the art. Such a modification is shown in Fig. 3, in which the tram-rails r 1' are inclinedupward toward each other at their adjoining ends and the circuit connections are made therefrom directly through the trolley 14 and the operating-arms u' and Zto the rheostat and motor, as before.

Although I have hereinbefore described and have illustrated in the accompanying drawings two modified forms of apparatus for practicing the methods hereinafter claimed, I do not limit my-invention to these specific types of apparatus, as I believe it is broadly new with me to accomplish the result sought namely, to prevent abnormal or damaging arcing at'the terminals of the switches in a sectional-third-rail system when the sectional third rails or conductors are disconnected from the current feeder or main by reducing the current-flow at that time through the terminalsto an amount insufficient to damage the same.

I am aware that ithas heretofore been proposed to insert resistances at the ends of each of a series of sectional third rails or conductors for the purpose of avoiding flashing or abnormal arcing at these points, as disclosed in'British patent to Smith, No. 11,963,

of August 18, 1888, and that short sectional working conductors, located in alinement with other working conductors and provided with resistances for reducing the current-flow as a current-collector passes thereover, have been utilized for the purposeof. avoiding damaging arcing at the ends of adjoining working conductors, as disclosed in United States patent to Heilmann,-. No. 622,466 granted April 4, 1899; but I am not aware that any one has heretofore devised means whereby abnormal or damaging arcing may be avoided between the terminals of the switches of a sectional-third-rail system ofelectric railways by reducingthe current-flow through the terminals at the time that the circuit is interrupted at such points, and this constitutes the essence of the present invention, in that it makes it possible toutilize currents of very large quantity and high-potential difference in connection with sectional condoctor or third-rail systems of electric railways and without danger of fusing or destroying the switching-terminals, this objectionable feature having made it necessary'heretofore to use carbon at the switching-terminals, which carbon terminalshad to be replaced after a time owing tothe damaging arcing.

With my invention and in the practice of my methods it is possible to use metallic terminals of sufficient current carrying capacity to deliver current in enormous quantities and of widely-varyin g potential difierencespwin g to the fact, as will be appreciated, that when the circuit is interruptedat the terminalsinsufficient current is flowing to in any sense damage such terminals.

No claim is made in the present application tothe novel safety systemof electric railways illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereby front and rear end collisions are avoided, nor to'the method of avoiding either front or rear end collisions by the use of such a system, as these features are respectively claimed in the before-mentioned application, bearing Serial No. 58,923, filed in automatically reducingthe current-flow delivered through the terminals by successive 1 steps until a current is flowing-to an amount insufficient to damage the same at the time that the sectional conductor is disconnected from th'e feeder or main;

2. In a system of electric railways of the sectional-conductor type the method of preventing abnormal or damaging arcing at the terminals of the switches where the sectional conductors are connected to and disconnected from the current feeder or main; consisting in automatically increasing the resistance to the current delivered through the terminals by successive steps until a current is flowing to an amount insufiicient to damage the same at the time that the sectional conductor is disconnected from the feeder or main.

3. In a system of electric railways of the sectional-conductor type the method of preventing abnormal or damaging arcing at the terminals of the switches where the sectional conductors are connected to and disconnected from the current feeder or main, and damage to the current-collector and translating devices carried by a car; consisting in automatically reducing the current-flow through the terminals and to the translating devices as the current-collector passes from one sectional conductor to another and correspondingly increasing the current-flow as it advances upon the next adjacent sectional condnctor.

4. In a system of electric railways of the sectional-conductor type the method of preventing abnormal or damaging arcing at the terminals of the switches where the sectional conductors are connected to and disconnected from the current feeder or main, and damage to the current-collector and translating devices carried by a car; consisting in automaticall y increasing the resistance to the current delivered through the terminals and at the ends of adjacent sectional conductors as the current-collector passes from one sectional conductor to another, and in correspondingly decreasing the resistance to the current-flow as it advances upon the next adjacent sectional conductor.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. KINTNER.

\Vitnesses:

JAMES P. J. MORRIS, M. F. KEATING. 

